The evolution of mobile technology from a simple telephone with capabilities such as an organizer to a more intelligent and sophisticated miniature computing device including gaming, video streaming, or web-based applications has been one of the goals of the mobile manufacturers. In recent years, vendors in the cellular market aimed at providing more user desirable features in an attempt to increase their subscription rate. As these additional implemented features and functions become more user oriented and controlled, the associated vulnerabilities in this technology also increases.
Although most of the attention in wireless security is geared toward authentication and encryption technologies that typically cause a complete denial of use, relatively little attention is geared towards mobile security where user on a mobile radio has already been authenticated. Security experts have been giving ample warnings for required improvements in this area. There is no technology that is hacker-proof and the recent scares such as the “Cabir” virus/worm that infected the Symbian operating system that runs on a number of mobile radios, including the Nokia brand is actual proof of the forthcoming challenges. Diana Muriel of CNN in her article entitled “Threat of mobile virus attack real” on Oct. 15, 2003 stated that “Windows operating system has been on the receiving end of more than 60,000 viruses” and believes this trend is going to be followed by many imitators as well as new types of security concerns. Therefore it becomes a necessity to introduce and implement intrusion-detection and resolution measures before the problems get out of control. Once a mobile gets infected, it could launch a malicious chain reaction of attacks (mutation attacks) directed towards other mobile stations in a network as well as the network itself.
Currently, there are authentication and encryption technologies that are being proposed by the IS2000C/D and other wireless standards. The proposals are for the complete denial of unauthorized users and users' data integrity, however, there is no specific implementation or technology to prevent or suspend only the specific services of an infected portable-mobile device, or malicious mobile devices that have already been authenticated from accessing the wireless network and potentially compromising the entire network by causing one or more among a system outage, reduced services to other users, system flooding with malicious traffic, or a chain reaction or infections.